Bold & Daring Revenge-Seeking Women!

As life throws ugly challenges at Paoli Dam, she turns into a sex worker with an aim to avenge the man who wronged her! Like this gutsy lady, B-town has told tales of many revenge-seeking women who smartly killed their targets. Let's meet them!

1. Madhuri Dixit in Anjaam

After Baazigar and Darr, Shah Rukh donned the hat of negativity for the third time in Anjaam. Madhuri Dixit played his object of obsession that led to the obvious mean side of SRK's rich-and-spoilt man's representation on screen. Madhuri was first-rate, especially in the second half that displayed her in a hawkish avatar in a chase to avenge the cruel killer of her husband, daughter and sister. The climax shots are highly recommended for thriller-lovers who are crazy to watch hatke sequences.

When a no-nonsense female cop sets out on a mission to get even with four men who gang-raped her, we admire her audacity to stand against the law (the rapists were freed by the court) and punish the culprits in a spine-tingling way! Dimple Kapadia, along with a team of downtrodden women, was gutsy enough to take up the challenging role that demanded loads of daring spunk in her character. She delivered a hell of a supreme performance as a physically & emotionally wounded woman who thought of a unique way to avenge those who exploited her – castrate them!

Even with a simple plot, Reena Roy emerged as an absolute top-drawer. As a female-snake who could turn into a smoking-hot woman at her will, Reena aimed at wreaking vengeance on her husband's (male-snake played by Jeetendra) shooters. She transformed into various sizzling avatars flaunting the glitzy fashion outfits that dominated the late 70s, and embarked on a killing spree. This venomous-pretty-thing was simply irresistible while luring her targets with her red-hot looks & a demeanor to die for.

This gripping story of rape and injustice was purely Zeenat Aman's film from commencement to the conclusion. While the initial parts saw her as a graceful and gorgeous model who got raped by a crazy fan (Raj Babbar), she played with equal aplomb a devastated & humiliated woman who lost the rape-case in court, followed by getting dumped by her boyfriend, in later reels. All hell broke loose for Zeenat when the same man raped her sister as well – this time, she settled down for nothing less than shooting down the rapist herself. It was certainly a bold film for its time that showcased brutal rape scenes shot in an unbelievably realistic way that left the audience speechless.

From a Plain Jane to a sensuous glam-doll, Rekha flaunted one of the best image makeovers in this revenge saga. While she beautifully pulled off the parts wherein she played a wealthy yet simple-looking widow, Rekha was outstanding in sequences that witnessed her aggressive avatar – much-required to bring out the revenge-seeking streak on screen. Her target (Kabir Bedi) was too smitten by this ultimate femme fatale that he quite easily fell into the trap laid out by her. Besides Rekha's excellent display of various emotions, the film was also highly talked about for its many OTT fashion outfits & accessories donned by the smoking-hot diva.

Atrocious rape scenes, nudity, sex and brutality – Bandit Queen had it all aplenty. And one name that instantly comes to our minds the moment we hear the film's name is Seema Biswas, owing to her etched-in-mind portrayal of Phoolan Devi's down and dark real-life events. Married at a tender age of 11, physically & sexually abused by her husband often, and finally, gang-raped by the upper-caste men, followed by her expulsion from the village – Phoolan Devi had reasons enough to turn into a dacoit to get back at the wrongdoers.

She showed glimpses of a strong woman all set to take revenge from her innocent sister's murderer in No One Killed Jessica. With Kahaani, Vidya Balan came across as an even stronger character with one & only mission in her life – to turn the tables on her husband's killer – and the way this secret is revealed only in the last reels is utterly hair-raising (until now, we were under impression that this seven-month-pregnant lady was desperate to find her missing husband)! In an absolute authoritative central role, Vidya brought many thought-provoking moments to the screen, thus keeping the cinema-lovers on the edge throughout the film. Be it her body language, self-belief, passion or pain – Vidya is wonderful in every frame. Undoubtedly, all her former feats at the movies got convincingly pushed back by one step each – her supreme performance in Kahaani being booked for the top slot.

In this author-backed role, Urmila emerged as a powerhouse performer. A woman wronged by her man, Urmila refused to put the blame on misfortune. Instead of feeling like a trash as many vulnerable B-town ladies who feel that seeking retaliation is beneath them and opt to forgive & forget instead, Urmila couldn't stomach her status of a 'used & abused', destiny-hit female. With a watertight, razor-sharp plan, she triumphantly beat the deceitful & scheming Saif at his own game!